Page 15 of Dual Destruction

“Are you…” I dipped my chin to get a better look at Ronan’s face out of the glare of the sun. “Are you blushing?”

“No.”

He was.

“What do you want?” I asked.

“Kevin and I have been entertaining the idea of… exhibitionism.”

I snorted. “That’s nothing new. I’ve watched the two of you before.”

“He wants to watch.”

I blinked so slowly I didn’t think my eyelids would open without being pried apart. It had been well over a year since Ronan and I were together intimately. He’d known from the start things with Kevin were going to be serious, and I think they were both surprised just how true that had become.

“Watch you and me,” I clarified, even though his intent was clear.

“There’s no one else I trust to not get caught up in it.”

“Oh.” I scrunched my nose. “The feelings.”

He nodded, looking relieved.

“Maybe.” I stood and reached down, pulling Ronan up. I dusted gravel and dirt off the back of my pants and adjusted my jacket. “I want to talk to Kevin about it first if we do that.”

“Of course.” Ronan nodded. “I’ll let him know to expect your call.”

“I don’t know when,” I said. “I don’t know what this work thing is going to be like.”

It wouldn’t have been the first time I had to pack a bag and grab a flight with an hour’s notice. Just another reason simple things with easy people made more sense for me than relationships and emotions. The sooner I could get Sage out of my head, the better, because that man was neither simple nor easy, and I couldn’t afford to come to the range every single day.

That was a lie.

I could if I wanted to.

But I didn’t.

Ronan and I said our goodbyes and I plugged in the Santa Monica address, finding myself parked in front of a small and rundown building that looked like it used to be an auto shop, but probably not within the last decade. There were no other cars, but that wasn’t a shock. I parked, locked my car, checked my guns, and went inside.

The door was unlocked, because of course it was, and as soon as it closed behind me, I was met with the barrel of a gun against the back of my neck. I raised my hands and sighed, a surge of adrenaline only making me hard, not scared. “Long time, no see, Sharp.”

“Golden.”

I shook him off, hating his use of my last name because it tainted my memory of how the syllables sounded in Sage’s voice.

“You enjoy your vacation?” he asked, gesturing with his piece to a rusted desk that looked like it had been in the same spot since the fifties. I sat down in a battered brown chair and waited for Alistair Sharp to take the seat across from me. He couldn’t be much older than me even though he was easily half my size, but I didn’t know shit about him besides he was the person who called when I had work to do, and he’d be the one to put a bullet in my brain if I ever fucked up.

“It was too long,” I told him.

He gave me an appreciative look and pushed a manila folder across the desk at me.

“This one’s local,” he said, “but there’s a broad net cast. We’re not the only ones with the contract.”

I scratched my temple and bent back the corner of the folder.

“Someone wants someone dead,” I said with a laugh that died in my throat as soon as I flipped open the folder.

“Urgently,” he agreed. “This would be a big win for us, if you know what I mean.”